I guess it rains down in Africa…

Today we went to the Recreation Project. It was started by an American as a way to bring Ugandan youth affected by the war to come together and learn teamwork, communication, overcoming obstacles. The staff is Ugandan and they do teambuilding games and trust games, similar to what we do at Hancock with the 7^th graders, or Katie organizes. Then we zip lined- whoo hooo- see the video- and then climbed the rock wall. We were joined by some of the partner teachers and they are so open and welcoming, sometimes the people here just amaze me with their perspective and how they do not wallow in the incredible hardship they have lived through. 

As we were sitting eating banana’s and resting in between events, I started talking to a one of the partner teachers from Gulu Secondary School- first you must understand that Gulu SS is basically the school for all the kids who could not get accepted at all the other schools- the school for problem students. We had already learned that Alex’s baby had been in the hospital for three days for treatment, and then his son, who has sickle cell, had to go for a blood transfusion the same week- so here we are talking and I ask him how many children he has, he tells me four. I tell him I have four as well.  Then he says, “but I am responsible for 24 people” and he then tells his story: he was taken by the LRA when he was 29, in 1996. He was forced to stay with them for 10 years before he escaped in 2006. After he was taken, the people in his village retaliated against his family- because he was in the LRA- it did not matter that it was not by choice.  They took his sister and her family and put them in their hut and burned them alive. Then they killed his brother.  He talked of the many horrible things he was forced to do, so bad that it makes him sick to even think about them. When he escaped he came home and now takes care of his grandmother who is 101, his mother, who is 80, his four children, wife, and 17 children who were orphaned because of the war.  He works and lives in town during the week and on the weekend, goes back to his village which is about 15 miles away to cultivate the land and do other work to help with the upkeep of all his dependents.  He feels this is how he can atone for some of what he did- and given all that, he took the day to spend with us basically playing- all with a smile on his face and eagerness to participate.  A truly humbling conversation.

Here we all are!

Yes-me falling backwards into the hands of new friends

the rock wall- I look like a dork

awesome climb

waiting for the rain to stop with chickens

So about the rain… see the pics and video- it started right after we got to the road to go home- ran for shelter under the roof of a random building across the street. Waited it out- about 20-30 min. and then started walking for home- with virtually rivers running down both sides of the street. It was awesome!  And the chickens where pretty cool too.